Festivals >> Glasgow >> 2009 >> It's a Wonderful World

24 City (Er Si Si Cheng Ji, Er shi si cheng ji (24 city)) (Country: China, Hong Kong, Japan; Director: Jia Zhang-Ke; Writer: Jia Zhang-Ke, Zhai Yongming; Cast: Jianbin Chen, Joan Chen, Liping Lu, Zhao Tao)
Blend of fiction and documentary looks at a Chinese munitions plant scheduled for conversion into luxury apartments. Full Review See: Jia Zhang-Ke press conference on 24 City

Bitter & Twisted (Bitter And Twisted) (Country: Australia; Director: Christopher Weekes; Writer: Christopher Weekes; Cast: Noni Hazlehurst, Steve Rodgers, Leeanna Walsman, Gary Sweet, Matt Newton, Christopher Weekes)
This quirky, multidimensional drama of longing and loss starts with the death of a young man and flashes forward three years to assess the toll it took on his parents, brother, and ex-girlfriend. A vivid style and nuanced performances add unusual charm to this confident debut. Official Site

Disgrace (Country: Australia, South Africa; Director: Steve Jacobs; Writer: Anna Maria Monticelli, based on the book by J.M. Coetzee.; Cast: Scott Cooper, Eriq Ebouaney, Jessica Haines, John Malkovich, Fiona Press)
The complex social life of an English professor forms a mirror for a complex country. Full Review

Heart Of Fire (Feuerherz) (Country: Germany, Italy, Austria, France; Director: Luigi Falorni; Writer: Luigi Falorni, Gabriele Kister, Senait Mehari; Cast: Letekidan Micael, Solomie Micael, Seble Tilahun, Daniel Seyoum, Mekdes Wegene, Samuel Semere)
The story of a young girl who is passed to the Eritrean Liberation Front.

Johnny Mad Dog (Country: France, Belgium, Liberia; Director: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire; Writer: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire; Cast: Christophe Minie, Daisy Victoria Vandy)
In an unnamed African country a 15-year-old leads a platoon of younger teens on a rampage which threatens another youngster's way of life. Full Review View Trailer

Laila's Birthday (Eid milad Laila) (Country: Palestine, Tunisia, Netherlands; Director: Rashid Masharawi; Writer: Rashid Masharawi; Cast: Mohamed Bakri, Areen Omari, Nour Zoubi)
A moving, often funny tale of a Palestinian taxi driver trying to get home in time for his daughter's birthday. Full Review

Song Of Sparrows (Avaze gonjeshk-ha) (Country: Iran; Director: Majid Majidi; Writer: Mehran Kashani, Majid Majidi; Cast: Mohammad Amir Naji, Hossein Aghazi, Maryam Akbari, Kamran Dehghan)
This Iranian morality tale deals with an ostrich farmer who loses his job and is forced to travel to and from the city. Full Review

Tulpan (Country: Germany, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia, Switzerland; Director: Sergei Dvortsevoy; Writer: Sergei Dvortsevoy, Gennadi Ostrovsky; Cast: Askhat Kuchencherekov, Tolepbergen Baisakalov, Ondas Besikbasov, Samal Esljamova,)
A man dreams of becoming a shepherd in the Kazakhstan steppe, but is there room for such dreams in the modern world? Full Review Official Site

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